Re: Has anyone put a 318 in a 1/2 ton WC?


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Posted by Brian in Oregon on September 04, 1999 at 11:48:05:

In Reply to: Has anyone put a 318 in a 1/2 ton WC? posted by J. Smith on September 04, 1999 at 11:09:34:

I have a 41 WC that I was going to put in a (don't lynch me) a Ford 351W and a short tail shaft C-6 automatic (simply because it was laying around). As short as that is, it still required moving the tranfer case back a few inches. In a body off frame 41 WC, that is easily handled by welding on a heavy steel plate over the top of the frame and overlapping the original transfer case mount, drilling new holes and putting large washers under the bolt heads. The drivelines with have to be shortened and lengthened and the piece sectioned from one can be spliced into the other.

My frame is in such bad condition I did not complete this project. I'll get a better frame after the M37 is done. The 318 and short tailshaft 727 is similar in size to the 351W/C-6, so it would not surprise me if the transfer case had to be moved back.

BTW, as a suggestion, I'd look for a 42 transfer case so I had hi/lo on it. At one time special brackets were made so the 42 transfer cases could be put into a 41, but they are like hen's teeth to find. You'll most likely have to fabricate brackets. But it is worth the hassle to get hi/lo.

A buddy used to have a 318 and manual transmission 41 WC pickup. He ran the stock radiator and had trouble with it overheating on hot days.

Another buddy is putting together a 41 WC pickup with a 440 & short 727. He is going with mid-60's axles (I foget which Dana's he's using) and some of these have the 5-lug pattern. His do so he can run combat rims. He's also putting in heavier drivelines, a late model divorced transfer case and a custom radiator ($$$). This is a real good consideration for power because the axles will take the torque of the engine well. Also, the big drawback, aside from axle breakage with V-8's, is the brake drums. The drum is integral with the hub. You have to remove the hub and disturb the bearings to clean mud from the brakes. With 42 on axles you can pop the drums off the hubs. And, my understanding is that the 41 gears are thinner than even the 4.89's offered for the M37. This would mean you'd have more pressure on the gear teth. Another good reason to swap in later axles.

BTW, in some of these conversions, the rear of the valve covers will hit the firewall. You can very carefully trim the corner where the valve covered interfere, the SWAP the two pieces and turn them around and weld them back in place. This reverses the sheetmetal and makes dimples. You must make a pattern and cut both sides exactly the same to do this.

Also, measure the total length of you engine and trans, and add space for fan clearance to the radiator. You can then measure back and mark the frame and lay out the power train. All this is obviously easier to do when the bed and cab are off the truck. And, this allows you to carefully check for cracks in the frame as well. As tough as they were, the 41's had a thinner frame than the later trucks and were prone to damage easier. It isn't common, but it does happen.





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